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Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting Reviews

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When it’s time for you to get a virtual private server (VPS), you’ll have to decide between a Linux VPS and a Windows VPS. There are a number of benefits and perks with either one of the operating systems, so knowing what you require is the first step in deciding between the two. Although Linux is the more popular one of the two operating systems, some applications do require that you have a Windows VPS hosting service.

What Makes Linux and Windows VPS the Similar?

Regardless of the operating system that runs on your server, both Linux and Windows will work the same way. Your entire server would be divided into partitions to allow different users to have access to server resources, such as space, bandwidth and dedicated memory. Both operating systems allow administrators to create slices in order to run applications individually, without affecting other partitions. You will also have access to tradition options such as domain add-ons, emails, databases, PHP-support and more.

As mentioned before, there are certain applications that can only be run on a Windows powered server and likewise for Linux based servers. A few of the most common Windows only applications include the following,

Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint

ASP.NET, ASP Classic, C#

Microsoft Access (MS Access)

Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL)

Visual Basic Development

Perks of Using a Windows VPS

If you are just starting to use virtual private servers for your website or business, you will often times find the Windows user-interface much easier to understand and use. The graphical interface is what makes the navigations seamless and effortless to use. A Windows powered VPS hosting service will allow you to host applications that need ASP.NET or ASP to run. This is something that Linux servers will not be able to help you with. Another great feature that Windows brings to its users is the Remote Desktop feature which allows you to access your user-interface from any computer in the world. Additionally, a Windows VPS will support a range of Microsoft server applications including MS Access, MSSQL, Exchange and SharePoint.

Perks of Using a Linux VPS

Linux is by far the most popular operating system used for web servers and one of the primary reasons is cost. It is also cost efficient for hosting companies to use Linux powered servers to offer hosting rather than having Windows servers. Unlike Windows applications, most of the Linux applications are either free or cost very little. Licensing fees can be quite high for Windows servers, but that is not the case with Linux servers. With a broader variety of applications and a larger group of supporters for Linux, you’ll have better online support for technical issues.

Case sensitivity is another difference between the two operating systems. On Linux systems, all files are case sensitive, so vpshosting.html and VPSHosting.html are recognized as two different pages. However, on a Windows server both those pages will be considered as one. We can’t really say that a Linux VPS is more secure than a Windows VPS, as they are equally secure. The level of security comes down to how the server is setup, the variety of applications that are running on it and whether or not everything is up-to-date.

When deciding between a Linux and Windows VPS, you want to first think about your requirements, including the applications you will be running on it. If your website will require ASP, you will definitely need a Windows VPS. It’s never fun switching hosts, so make sure you make the right decision the first time.

If you have a profitable or successful website, there may be a time when your website will outgrow your shared hosting plan. When you first acquired your shared hosting account, you may not have known whether this day would come. Now that your website is no longer a viable option in a shared hosting environment, it is time to consider the next best option. If you’ve outgrown a shared hosting plan, you should consider a virtual private server (VPS). A VPS offers the benefit and freedom of a dedicated server, but at a relatively lower cost. Most people who have chosen a VPS over a dedicated server have considered it a great choice, because it gets the job done while saving them a decent amount of money.

When the limits of your shared hosting plan have been reached, there is really no point in trying to stick around with it. If you continue to stay in the same environment, you will be putting the user experience at risk. When considering a virtual private server for your website, you should have an idea of what it is that you need. Since you already have a website, you will know exactly how much disk space, bandwidth, memory and server resources you require. This will make the process of getting a VPS much easier.

Now that you know exactly how much space and bandwidth you need, you should only consider VPS plans that meet your basic requirements. Even though unmetered web hosting has become the norm in the industry, you will not always find it with every VPS hosting company. Quality bandwidth is expensive and you should expect to pay for the server resources that are provided.

The benefit in going for a VPS hosting solution is that you will have dedicated space, bandwidth, and memory and CPU power. Similar to how dedicated server hosting can be managed and unmanaged, the same is offered with most virtual private server hosting options. A managed VPS is the best solution for those who want to be free of any headaches, as the whole hosting service is managed by the hosting company. Any server issue that arises would be handled by the company, leaving you in peace.

With so many small and large web hosting companies offering VPS hosting, it can be a tough decision when it comes to choosing one specific company. The hosting company you should consider for virtual private server hosting should be reliable, reputable and experience in the industry. A reliable hosting company is one that would be able to provide you with the best possible uptime and the most reputable is the one who is willing to offer you a good deal along with years of experience in the business.

Most virtual private server hosting services are scalable, so you will always have the opportunity to upgrade your server requirements. If you are unsure about which VPS hosting plan suits your needs, simply choose the most basic plan and upgrade as your website grows. This way, you will be able to save some money on the hosting service. Additionally, you may also want to consider the perks and software that are included with your plan.

A virtual private server (VPS) is considered as the bridge between a shared hosting environment and a dedicated server option. When your hosting needs exceed what your shared hosting plan gives you; it may be time to consider your next best option; a virtual private server. A virtual private server is still in a shared environment, but as the owner of the account, you have full control over it. All server resources are yours and yours only, meaning that what you do on your server will not affect the others. A dedicated server is first partitioned into various smaller servers to create a VPS. With a virtual private server, you will be able to install any software of your choice.

Choosing the right virtual private server for your website is an important decision, because you do not want to be moving around from one host to another all the time. Before you even consider looking at the available options, you need to look over your current web hosting needs. It would make it easier for you to choose the right VPS solution, if you know exactly what you need in terms of hosting resources. Many people often end up choosing a virtual private server that offers much more than what they need and they often end up paying more than they have to. The following are a few things you should consider when choosing a VPS.

Disk Space and Bandwidth Requirements

The amount of disk space and monthly bandwidth you have with your virtual private server is something that needs to be considered when you sign up. Due to the fierce competition in the hosting industry, many companies have started to offer unmetered disk space and bandwidth, but that may not always be the case with VPS solutions. In reality, quality bandwidth and disk storage does not come in cheap, so you will need to expect to pay for what you get. However, you should have a general idea of how much space and bandwidth your website will require.

Server Memory

When choosing a virtual private server, you will have the opportunity to see the amount of memory that the VPS comes with. Depending on the website you are planning to host, it may or may not require a considerable amount of server memory. The pricing for a virtual private server usually goes up with the amount of server memory that is included. If you already have a website that you are going to be moving to a VPS, you will be able to get an idea of how much memory you require. However, in the event that you have no website yet; you can always choose the lowest plan and upgrade at a later time.

Customer Support

The one thing that you absolutely need in web hosting is customer and server support. With a virtual private server, you will have most of the control over the server, but you should also be able to get some level of customer support. The response level of the hosting company is something you should really consider when choosing a hosting service. Most companies will offer you either a managed or unmanaged VPS solution, so this is also another factor to consider. A managed VPS may be the best solution for those who want the hosting company to handle all the server issues. For a few extra dollars per month, you will be able to have peace of mind, knowing that someone is looking after your VPS.

The Terms and Conditions

All hosting companies have terms and conditions for their hosting services and they are usually found in fine print at the bottom of the sign up page. Reading the policies is very important, because it will include critical information on money back policies, regular backups, and server usage and server security. Knowing exactly what you are signing up for is something you should make a habit of. Once you’ve found a reliable and reputable web hosting company for your virtual private server, all you have to do is consider what we’ve talked about above.

In order to understand what managed and unmanaged VPS hosting are, you need to understand what VPS hosting is. VPS hosting, which is technically known as virtual private server hosting is a type of hosting service where a dedicated server is used to provide independent hosting. To understand what VPS hosting is, you should first picture a large dedicated server that is partitioned into various smaller servers. In this process, a large server is being used to create several small virtual servers using the hardware in the large server. The new virtual server is now able to run on its own operating system and it could be rebooted without causing any changes to the other virtual servers in the system. In all regards, the VPS you manage would be independent from all the others in the dedicated server.

A VPS server is what many consider to be the bridge between a shared hosting service and a dedicated server. With a shared hosting service, you will be very limited as to what you can do. Additionally, you may not even be able to host a resource intensive site as it will affect others in the shared environment. However, with a VPS hosting service, you will have the benefits of a dedicated server at a cost that is only about 40% of that of the dedicated server. Even with the VPS hosting service, you may still have limitations but they could be disregarded if you are not looking into configuring the server to your own specs. A virtual private server is much more independent than a regular shared hosting service; you can even install your own operating system and software to run special types of websites.

Some of the Benefits of a Virtual Private Server include the following,

Monetary Savings on Hardware/Service

Higher Performance Server

Full Root Access w/ Your Software

Fully Independent, Run Your Own OS

Reboot Anytime

Unmanaged VPS Hosting

No matter what type of virtual private server hosting plan you have, you should first consider whether you would be comfortable with managing the server. An unmanaged VPS hosting service offers no hands on technical support or maintenance, as you are left to handle all the issues on your own. From time to time, you may need to repair something, reboot the server or configure settings and without any knowledge of how to manage a server, you will be left to do everything on your own. An unmanaged VPS hosting is perfect for those who have hands on experience with managing a server. When choosing an unmanaged service, you need to consider whether you know everything about the operating system, server resources and any technical maintenance it may require.

The hosting company is only responsible for the physical unit and nothing more, everything relating to the maintenance, updates and configuration is up to you. Technical support from the company will be quite limited as well, but they would surely help when you pay for their services. Paid technical support from hosting companies is generally billed by the hour at a hefty price. Additionally, you could surely outsource the server management to a third party company that offers a better deal.

Managed VPS Hosting

For those of you who aren’t so tech savvy, it is important to know whether you will have someone to help you manage a server. If you are getting virtual private server hosting for your business, do you have IT personnel that could do all the maintenance work? When you have little to no experience with server management; it is crucial that you go for an option such as a managed VPS hosting service. The level of involvement of the hosting company will vary from one company to another. One company may provide all the help you need, while others may only provide you with technical and maintenance support. However, there are loads of benefits in choosing a managed VPS hosting service.

With a managed virtual private server, you don’t have to think about anything as the company basically deals with everything related to your server. From reboots to advanced software configurations; everything is looked after by the hosting company. If you want peace of mind with VPS hosting, your best option would be to choose a managed VPS hosting service.

When a website grows in size and reach, the need arises to shift from a shared server hosting plan to a plan that is much more suited to take into account the performance issues relating to a large subscriber base and increased web presence. It is this need which forces website owners to think of moving to either a virtual private server hosting plan or a dedicated server hosting plan. But often, there are times when it becomes a bit cumbersome and overtly confusing to decide which plan is better for you and your online venture. So here are a few things which can help you choose between these two types of web hosting plans. (more…)

When it comes to hosting, there is a wide range to choose from nowadays. Aside from the good old shared hosting, there are virtual private servers, dedicated servers, virtual dedicated servers, on-demand SaaS servers and a few other solutions. The competition is tougher than ever, and the companies are forced to provide the best service possible for the lowest price, which is just perfect for the customers.

And yet, everybody still seems to choose the aforementioned shared hosting, simply because it’s the most used, it’s dirt cheap (you can get it for like $3 a month) and it provides everything one needs to get started with a site on the Web. But shared hosting is not always the best solution – in fact, I would argue that it’s the worst choice you can make, and even a cheap VPS or dedicated server would be better, right from the start. Here are just a few reasons why you should not go with a shared hosting, even if you’re just starting out and you’re low on money. (more…)

There are numerous benefits to having your own dedicated server. Apart from the ability to run your own software on your dedicated server, you will have a couple of disadvantages that match your advantages. Throughout this article, we will be looking at some of the notable cons in having your own dedicated server. If you are a web hosting company, you will really have no option other than to have a dedicated server, but in other cases, you may want to consider the aspects we’re going to discuss. (more…)

Based on your website’s needs there are several different hosting options available. However, you may want to take a look at a dedicated hosting plan as such a plan is suitable for all types of online businesses.

A dedicated hosting plan provides each customer with his or her own dedicated server i.e. all the resources on the server are available for use by a single customer. This kind of arrangement is known to offer high performance levels and more reliability than other hosting plans. This is the reason why dedicated hosting is popular among larger businesses establishments.

Some of the main features of a dedicated hosting plan are listed here. (more…)

Everyone is looking to make some money online, including companies and individuals. There are millions of dollars being spent on a weekly basis on the e-commerce market, and getting in on the lucrative market is something everyone wants. In order to have your own online business or e-commerce store, you need to have hosting for your website. Creating a website is not a tough task, as you can hire someone to build you the website. Choosing a web hosting company to host your website is a tough choice, as there are thousands of companies to choose from. In this article we will be looking at the two lower cost hosting solutions available; shared web hosting and virtual private server hosting.

Shared hosting is very cost-efficient way to host your websites, since it comes with a very low price tag. However, shared hosting has several security issues and it is not sufficient for all websites. If you feel your website will be receiving large amounts of traffic, the best solution would be to host your website on a virtual private server. The cost of shared hosting is cheap because you are initially sharing everything with hundreds of other users. You are sharing space and bandwidth with the other clients on the server. If your website is very resource intensive, it will cause the other sites on the server to slow down. Similarly, if you feel your website is beginning to run slow, you know exactly what is going on. In terms of cost and performance, shared hosting is not a bad a solution.

Cost shouldn’t be your only concern when it comes to hosting. You should take the reliability and security into account. Since many people have access to the same server, there is a definite security concern. Shared hosting servers are very vulnerable to data-breaches, attacks and downtimes. If one of the sites on the server gets attacked, it could affect all the other websites on the server, unlike VPS hosting. VPS hosting is similar to a shared environment, but it is concerned to be private and secure.

VPS hosting is very similar to a dedicated server, because you essentially have your own server. VPS hosting is formed by offering clients to use one dedicated server that is split into partitions. With VPS hosting, you are the only one on your partition, and your websites will not affect that of the others. Unlike shared hosting, VPS hosting will cost you a bit more, but it is worth it if you take the reliability and security into account. VPS hosting is great because it can handle more resource intensive sites, since it does not share the memory with the other users on the dedicated server. You can get a custom virtual private server built according to your specifications. In any case, it is always best to begin with a VPS hosting plan and then move onto a dedicated server, as you could save some money in the beginning stages of your online venture.

If you have thought of having your own server, without the exceptionally high costs, the best solution is to get a VPS, short for virtual private server. A VPS would be right for you if you have some experience managing VPS, or dedicated servers. If you currently have a shared hosting account, and are thinking of upgrading, you can definitely consider a VPS. Going for a virtual private server will be a bit more in cost, but it will provide you with a lot more benefits than your shared hosting service.

If you run a dozen websites or so, which do not take up much resource; a VPS would be able to host your sites. A virtual private server will be great for site owners who have a strict spending limit, but have websites that take up large amounts of space, bandwidth and power. A shopping website with tons of visitors, who are constantly purchasing items, can be perfect for a VPS. A dedicated server will cost much more money and it requires more work to maintain, as opposed to a VPS. Each account that is created on a single virtual private server will be considered as one single account.

Just like dedicated servers are based on the Windows and UNIX operating system, a VPS is commonly put on an operating system known as Virtuozzo. Virtuozzo is a very strong operating system, which will be able to handle all requests in the system. If you notice that you are always reaching the resource limits on your current shared plan, or if you want more access to install your own software, you should consider a VPS. The VPS can be fixed with a control panel, which allows you to access the main panel for your websites. The most common control panel used in the web hosting business is cPanel. cPanel can be easily installed on any VPS. The control panel will allow you to access all the basic features in hosting such as databases, emails, add-on domain and statistics.

The pricing of virtual private servers vary greatly depending on the server specifications. The more space, bandwidth and RAM it has, the higher it will cost. You can even get your VPS built according to your specifications, which is something many people prefer to do. Upgrading bandwidth is very simple, as the supplier will just have to adjust that in your plan. Another great thing about having a VPS is that, you have full control over all your information. You are the only person who will be accessing the server, as opposed to shared hosting, where hundreds of users accessed one single server.